Recipes

Home-made Texan Apple Pie

What’s the best ever apple pie recipe? That’s easy. It’s the pie that has been lovingly prepared by family or friends, inside the warmth of an inviting home, fresh apples ready to be sliced and heavenly memories about to be made.

Over the weekend friend Rio and I transformed ourselves into Able Kitchen Assistants to two very accomplished bakers in our circle of chums, Camilla and Sunny, who had decided to turn their hand to baking the best ever apple pie – Texan Styles…

Sun Drenched Home - Baking Day NIKON D3000 f/4; Exposure 1/100sec; ISO-400

Sun Drenched Home – Baking Day NIKON D3000 f/4; Exposure 1/100sec; ISO-400

Best Texan Apple Pie – Ingredients (for one pie):

Begin by inviting your friends over for an afternoon bake-off when your home is aching for some good company.

What you’ll need:

1  x Pie crust rolled out

5 x Granny Smith Apples & 5 x Fuji Apples, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp each of cinnamon & nutmeg

1/4 tsp each of mixed spice & ground allspice

2/3 cup sugar

2 tbs flour

1 tbs custard powder

For the pie crust, 2 egg whites beaten lightly – to coat the entire pie crust

Golden Pie Crusts NIKON D3000 f/4; 1/20sec; ISO-200

Golden Pie Crusts NIKON D3000 f/4; 1/20sec; ISO-200

Next, bake the egg-coated pie crust for 7 minutes in 220°C. Let sit to cool. Now mix those sliced apples! Use all those spices, flour and custard powder to coat the apples, mix round and round till you see that every slice is infused with the aromatics. Mmm…

Spicy Apple Filling NIKON D3000 f/3.5; Expossure 1/40sec; ISO-400

Spicy Apple Filling NIKON D3000 f/3.5; Expossure 1/40sec; ISO-400

Layer carefully within the glazed pie crust till they are piled high. Embed 4 nobs of butter (a tablespoon each) into the apple layers, cover the pie with foil, and bake for 10 minutes in a 220°C oven.

Warmed Spicy Apple Pie-Just 10 minutes! NIKON D3000 f/3.8; Exposure 1/60sec; ISO-400

Warmed Spicy Apple Pie-Just 10 minutes! NIKON D3000 f/3.8; Exposure 1/60sec; ISO-400

Finally, the Streusel Topping. What you’ll need:

1/2 packed cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp each of cinnamon & nutmeg

1/4 tsp each of allspice & mixed spice

3/4 cup each of instant oats & flour

1/2 cup butter

Mix the lot with your hands, get a feel of the texture, ensure the butter becomes one with the oats and all the spices have merged into this topping. Get busy with carefully cloaking those spicy apple slices with this streusel topping: begin at the crown of the pie, adding small handfulls all the way to the bottom, and almost tucking the rest of the mixture into the pie’s perimeter. Bake till golden brown.

Oat Crumble Topped Apple Pie & Piping Hot Tea: NIKON D3000 f/4.5; Exposure 1/15sec; ISO-400

Oat Crumble Topped Apple Pie & Piping Hot Tea: NIKON D3000 f/4.5; Exposure 1/15sec; ISO-400

Now, most important: pop the kettle on. Retrieve the icecream from the freezer. Its time to reward and recognise your Able Kitchen Assistants with warm slices of pie, scoops of the best quality vanilla bean icecream you can afford and of course a pot of tea. I think I have been transformed! Best apple pie EVER!!

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